Shootout, saves help set sights on sixth

As the Game Preview clearly notes, the Rangers can grab hold of sixth place in the East today with a win over the Islanders (on NBC today). That task will be a lot easier said than done, however. A loss for the Islanders would be a huge blow to their playoff chances. Despite games in hand, the Isles trail both Carolina and Montreal by a point for the final spot. But a regulation win put them in a tie with the Rangers for seventh place, and they'll still have a game in hand. The Isles will come out hungry and aggressive.

Now that we've looked ahead to today's matchup (it will be on NBC), yesterday's shootout win against the Bruins was another classic. This team is like the Bizzaro Rangers right now. Instead of finding ways to lose, they keep finding ways to win. Yesterday it was Thomas Pock's turn, scoring with 1:40 left in regulation to tie the game up and send it to OT after the Rangers did everything in their power to lose the game. Sloppy play, too many penalties, etc. It was the same ol' story. Except the Rangers have somehow found ways to win those games lately. It's been such an enjoyable end to what has been a very trying season at times.

Henrik Lundqvist, whom we vaguely recall (ahem) mentioning should sit out yesterday, saved the team. Literally and figuratively. He came up with 40 big saves, five in the OT period. He stopped the B's power play cold over the last 1:31 of overtime, and then held them off just enough in the shootout to get his team two points.

The Rangers aren't relaxing after yesterday's win, though. They know the Isles will be a tough task today. Jaromir Jagr told the Post, "They're on the same level as us. When you play teams out of the playoffs, they have nothing to lose, they have no pressure. But the Islanders are feeling everything we feel. They have the same pressure. With the playoff race, this game is even bigger than the rivalry. But the rivalry probably makes it bigger, too, because of what's at stake for both teams."

Jagr, by the way, has scored on three of his last four shootout tries (including yesterday's). So much for that "I'm not good at them" theory.

One final side note today. There has been a lot written about fighting in hockey since the Chris Simon incident. Larry Brooks chimes in today with his thoughts on the topic. Brooks gets it right. Essentially, he realizes that periodically reviewing the game and the rules is always a good idea, and trying to develop ways to further protect players' health is important. But Brooks understands that, in context, there is a place in the game for fighting. He says hockey is finally starting to look familiar, returning to the way it used to be played before the lockout. We agree.